Started this Athletic vs Real Madrid deep dive around coffee time. Woke up thinking about last weekend’s game and got curious how they usually line up against each other. First thing, grabbed my laptop and fired up Football sites. Took notes directly into a messy doc – zero organization at first.
My Data Digging Phase
Checked head-to-head tables going back 5 seasons. Noticed Athletic’s formation hardly changes – always that 4-2-3-1 shape. Real though? Total chameleons! Ancelotti switches between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 diamond depending on who’s fit. Skimmed through match reports shouting stuff like “Ha! See? Kroos always drops deeper against them!” to my empty living room. Wrote down:
- How Athletic’s wingers track back
- Real’s average positions when Valverde plays
- Those brutal San Mamés tackles stats
Connecting The Dots
Drank cold coffee realizing patterns. Real Madrid’s left side gets overloaded constantly when Athletic presses high. Made a dumb color-coded chart in my notes app showing Athletic’s most common passes against them – nearly all down the right flank crossing low. Why? Cause Ferland Mendy pushes too damn high! Tried sketching defensive lines on a napkin. Failed. Went back to typing simple bullet points:
- Set pieces: Athletic taller, Real quicker
- Athletic fouls more in midfield (shocker)
- Real’s counter-attack speed kills Athletic’s high line
Putting It All Together
Stared blankly at my chaotic notes around lunchtime. Started grouping ideas into sections: Defense Shapes, Midfield Battles, Final Third Behavior. Forced myself to simplify – nobody cares about fancy stats like “expected threat”. Just plain observations:
Key Takeaway: Athletic defends narrow, trusts Williams brother’s pace out wide. Real exploits that gap between center-back and fullback EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Vinicius loves that pocket. Dunno why I remembered that 2020 Copa del Rey clash where they pressed like maniacs first half then collapsed. Classic Athletic.
Edited down my rambling into something readable before my brain fried. Thought sharing these raw notes might help folks grasp the patterns rather than just memorizing lineups. Anyway, back to rewatching that 2022 derby. Need to confirm something about Casemiro’s positioning…
